Gummed-tape-dispensing machine



March 4, 1930. R- C;- BEACH y1,749,407

GUMMED TAPE DISPENSING MACHINE Filed Jan. 25, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 4, 1930. 'R BACH l 1,749,407

1 GUMMED TAPE DISPENSING MACHINE Filed Jan. 25 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I- Patented Mar. 4, 1930 UNITED STATE-s;

A nafs. B EACH, or FArRFIELD, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNoR To HUGH LAvERY, lor* MTENTI OFFICE- BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT I, eUMMED-TArE-nIsPENs'ING MACHINE Application n led Ian-nary 23, 1925. Serial No. 4,247.

This invention relates to device for supj plying strips of paper or the like em loyed for wrapping or binding packages,.or or use as labels, and refers particularly tothat type, 5 of device in which a roll of a strip of paper l' 10 vso that it is ready foruse, vand has for an object'to provide an improved constructionl .of a device for'. holding, feeding and'moisv tening the strip of paper, which will have improved means-forprmting a name4 or slogan.

.15 on the other side of the` paper, and Whichwill have a measuring 'attachment which may.

be: set so that a single operation ofthe feedv ing mechanism will provide a strip of a prego'fdetermined length.

It is alsoan'obje'ctof the invention to pro- ,.videgan vimproved 4cutting mechanism for severing the individual strips from the main I, ith the foregoing and other vobjects 'in 25,.v1ew, have devised the, construction illus-' l ""tratedin the accompanying drawings :form-v ing a part of this specification, similar refer.- ence characters being employed throughout the various figures to indicate the correspond'- .130 ing elements. vIn thesedrawings, -4 1 1 ig. 1 is a front side elevation of the-device.'

Fig. 2isja topvplan View thereof. n Fig.' 3. is a* longitudinal "section .substantiallyon line 3"-3 of-Fig. 2.v ,A l

Fg. 4; is a deta'ls'ection, similar lto Fig. 3, of the cutting and. guide mechanism on, an `,enlarged scale. l

4' v -Eig..5, is a rear elevation of the housing en `closing, the .feeding and. cutting mechanism, but showing the casing-enclosing the -cutter Toperating mechanism ill-section. f

4 j llig.- 6' is a detail 'sectionof the .cutterfsup Figiisanfend-elcvgtion looking from the 'right of Eig. lfwith therollsu port removed;

,rality of annular grooves 16 to seat in the be adjusted on this rod to give dierent disa narrower tape, and the corresponding v Fig. 8v is asto 'planvievo the guide' .forv the'stripgintoft e feeding mechanism.

il l l VVI'011er123210017@thamoistenina' roller. 'A11 50 Fig. .1'0 `isa transverse vsection .oft-he cb 1 1 trol ofthe measuring mechanism, the sectionr beiig substantially online 10 1O of Fig. 11, an l Fig.'l1 is a side elevation looking from the. right of Fig. 10. 1

The. device comprises a suitable base 10 upon y'which the support for "the coil of gummed paper 11 and the mechanism for withdrawing the paper from the roll, measuring and moistening it, ismounted. The 60 support for the roll comprises a pair of backets 12 secured to the top ofthe base having forks 13 -at their upper ends in which the transversely extending supporting means for the reel is mounted. This support in the present case is adjustable for adifferent widthsY of strips so that no matter what the width of the -strip'is it will be maintained-in the proper position. This support comprises a pair of tubular elementslt aving anges 15 to be placed on opposite sides of the` coil of paper to prevent the coil moving sidewise, an they have on their outersurfaces a pluforks 13 of `the brackets to `prevent lateral' movement, and a rod 17 projects into both of the tubular elements. This rod has a tight fit with one of these elements but a loose .fit with the 'other so that the latter element may o tances between the flanges 15 for different. f widths of tape, as for mstzce' by moving them nearertogether, as shown in dotted lines, Fig.i2, theyfmay be used as guides for grooves lfwill seatin the forks 13 and h old them in. this position. f

The mechanism-forwithdrawing the tape from theroll, printing, moi'stening andcut-. 'ting *are enclosed. in4 a housing comprising'v andfconnected'by-'suitable posts'pr tie-rodscooperatin'groller21above the roller `20 and whichmaybe aprinting. roller, a-` moisture feeding roller 22 j. for `'carrying moisture to vthe moistening4 rollers 22.v land 'alcooperating 'of'theserollera are operated simultaneously o@ 0 `tjwo'side plates-1.8" mounted on the base 10 A v from a crank handle 24A through a train of gears, the main drive gear being shown at i meshing with-an idler 26 which in .turn

. meshes with a pinion 27 connected to the shaft 28 carrying the main roller 20. This' shaft also carries a gear A29 meshing with a gear 30 ou the shaft 31 carrying the printing roller 21. The ratio between these gears 29 and 30 is such as to give the saine surface -speed to the rollers 2O and `21 The -main driveV gear 25 also vmeshes with a pinion 33 on the shaft 34 carrying the moisture feeding roll 22. The shaft 31` for the printing roll 21 projects into elongated bearing openings 35 in thevplates 18 to allow up and down movement of the printing roll, and springs 36 are provided which tend to hold this roll against the upper surface ofthe tape indicated at 37 as it passes between this roll and against the -surface of the moistening Aroll 22' by springs 40. If the roll 21 is'used as a printing roll an inking roll54l is provided' having a {ibre surface to form a pad, and a transfer roll 42 runs o n the surface of this roll andalso the printing roll to transfer ink to the surface of the lprinting roll.

' Mounted in the housing between'the two sets of rolls`20-21 and 224-23 is a cut-olfv device for cutting the strip to proper length4 Heretofore thesecut-otf devices have been'a I pair of simple shear blades one of which was stationary and the other hinged at one en d. This type of'shear, however, is not satisfactory because it vis d iiiicult to maintain the `blades in proper adjustment, and unless they are perfectly straight and kept in this conditioi they do not cut properly. In the present machine I have provided an im' proved form of cut-0E mechanism which is very reliable in operation, occupies less space Y' and may be easily kept in proper adjustment. l t

the tape from the roll and guide it over the stationary blade.

It comprises a rotaryy blade holder 43 mounted to rotate in suitable bearings in the side plates 18 of the housing, and comprises cir'- `cular discs 44 at .its opposite ends connected by -a body or tie member 45 which carries the Vadjustable blade 4.6, and this blade cooperates with a stationary blade'V 47 #adjustf ably mounted by means of elongated slots 48 and screws 49 in a transverse support 50 carried by the housing. The surface or body of -the tie member45 upon which the blade '46 i's .mounted is curved o r forms `a portion of a spiral, asindicatedin'Fig. 2, so that` as the blade holder is rotated there will be onlya point contact between theblade 46 andthe blade 47 and which willmove from Olie end of these blades to the other giving aneasy operation and cutting the strip from one sid@ to the other. TheA blade 46 is ad- I justably secured to the holder by lmeansof adjustment relative tothe stationaryblade. Thel body or tie member 45 is so proportioned and arranged as to lie above the strip of tape 37 during the feeding operation, as shown in Fig. 3, so as.- not to interfere with the movement of. the tape, but by rotating the holder to the right or clockwise, as viewed in Fig.- .3, it will move to the position shown' in Fig. 4, .and the cooperation of the blades 46 and 47 will cut the tape transversely as indicated.. `This 'rotary cutter is operated by means of a lever 53'having a linger piece 54 located' where it is easilyl accessible; This leverF is secured to a transverse shafty 55 mounted 1n the housmg and which carries 'through elongated slots 52 in the blade (see Fig. 6). It' will be apparent that a lateral vbending 'of this blade will not change its a gear segment 56 on the rear of the housing. f

This segment meshes with a pinion 57 connected to vrotate with the blade holder 43 blade 46. This guide is mounted on a shaft 60 mounted in the Sideplates of the housing so that the guide may be swung up out of the way to the dotted line position (Fig. 4), if

desired, to facilitate cleaning and also adjustment of the stationary guide. A spring finger '61 is secured to one end of the shaft at the sides of the housing and provided with a projection 62adapted to seat in a recess in the housing to hold the guide in proper position. The guide may be swung upwardly by a knurled knob 60. A strip' er r ide 63 is mounted between the blade 4A an thev main feed roll'20 'and is provided with stripper lingers 64 projecting into grooves 65 to strip At a suitable distance from the blade the i rotatableholder 43 carries a transverse guide Abovethe guide 67 is another guide 68 mounted on a shaft 69 carried by the side platesof ,the housing, and secured to this shaft outside the housing is a spring finger 70 havinga projection 71 arranged to seat 1n 4a recess inthe housing tov hold the guide in j `proper position. Bymeans of a vknurled in the machine.

The moisture feeding roll 22 projectsinto 66 which guides the tapefrom the stationary blade over a stationary guide 67 leading back A -to the surface 'of the moistening roll 22.

4 G5 screws '51 threaded into thelholder passing' a tank 72 adapted to carry water 73/for'3" 'Iside walls of the vtank have'notches 81 in their top'edges in which :the shaft 34 seatsH moisten'ing the surface of the roll, and which is carried by the surface of the roll tothe moistening roller 22 covered with a suitable Afibre and by which it -is transferred to the underv or gummed surface of the tape as it is fed between this roller and the roll 23. This arrangementgives a more funiform moisteni ing of the tape and also insures that the entire length of tape taken olf isv moistened.

If the hard surface roller 22 were in direct Contact with the tape its surface would soon .dry 0E between operations so that the forward end of the next strip taken 0H would gummed these rol1s-may be used to apply an not be moistened. The fibre roller-22', however, retains suicient moisture to moisten the `forward endaor` the 4strip asy it is' fed through and moistens the wholestrip uniformly. If the tape is not previously adhesive to the 'under side of the tape. A. strippingl plate 74 is hinged to the side plate v1 8 at 7-5 and isprovidedwith a sharp edge adjacent the surface off the moistening roll to preventrthe tapestickingto the surface of the' roll. 'Ihe pivot 75,1.isback of the plates cenl ter of. ravity soth'at'its. free edge is against the'rol The tank-"is,` removably mounted in thehousing by means 'of a plate 79 which 'slides atits opposteledgs in guide grooves .in the 'sidewalls of the' housing and the and prevents the'. tank from sliding rear- -wardly. By withdrawing slide 79 the tank 35. v the back of the housing.`

may be 'lowered and then removed through djustable guidingv means 1s provided at the entrance to the` housing for-'the strip of tape'. As shown in Fig. 3, las the tape 37 enter the housing it passes under a trans- -.verse guidin rod.82 carried by the housing, and below tl'ns rod i's-another rod 83 on which j sie ad'ustably mounted guide blocks s4.

There re two of these blocks, one for each of the side-edges lof the-tape,and they are each provided with afnot'ch 85-.fo'r .the guide fi dotted'lines, Fig.4 j 235 I have provided improved means which `rod82 to prevent tur'ning'of theserblocks on- 'ffiit-he' rod83. Each block carries a vball 86- -1- pressedv 'againstthey rod '83 by'a spring 87 whichA yieldingly holds'these blocks in diier- 'ent-fl'iositionS on .the rod.`."1`heyf will, howjv'jer, allow adjustment of theblocks on the .od for diii'erentjwi-dths of tape v'as shownin 'Inay'jbe used for measuring OE, the proper length-of tape,'\"andthi'sjmeansmay. be adl j I. 1 justedto automatically'feed di'ere'nt lengths of tape: as desiredj. l Thecrankhandle 24 is securedtoa vcupped member 88 which is mounted'toh'rotateona stud 89 carried by the' housing and this. stud carries a sleeve 89- l I which isrotatable on this stud and carries the.

v fc5 main drive gear 25. Thissle'eve also carries a ratchet `90A which is operatedby a spring pressed pawl 91 carriedby the cupped member 88. This provides'a one-way drive between the crank handle 24 and the main drive gear 25,*that is, movement'of the crank han- 'dle to the left or counterclockwise; as viewed in Figs. 1 and 11, will rotate the gear 25 in the same directionto operate the feed rollers to draw the tape 37 from 4the coil 11 and pass it through the machine. The lever when released is returned to its original or full line position, Figs. 1 and 11, by means of a convolute spring 92. This springis connected at its inner end to the stud 89 by a pin 93 and at its outer end to thecupped member 88 by a pin 94, andthe spring' is enclosed bya second' cupped member 95 mounted to rotateon the stud 89. This second cupped member 95 forms an/'indexing device to determine the length of the tape which will be fed through i the machine. Secured to this stud 89, as by means of a set screw-96,.is a disc 97 carrying a spingpressed plunger 98 which may be drawnl outwardly against the action of the spring 99 by a head 1.00. *Thev inner end lof lthis plunger is reduced,'asl shown at 101, so as to project into anyone of a series of openings 102 in the cupped member 95. The gear drive from the main gear 25'is enclosed in a liou'sing 103 secured to a side plate 1 8, and this housing carries a stop 104 to be engaged-by ward movement underthe j actionuof vthe spring92. The movement of this crank.

movement allowed for the crank handle may lbe varied to allow. di'erent lengths of tape to be drawn "from lthe-coilll. The stop 106 lprojects into, the path of movementoil the 'crank handle",v as shown in Fig. 2. 'The length of the' tapefed offisdetermined by withdrawing the plunger v98 and then rotating the cupped member t'olbrin'g the stop 106vto the desired position, andr then this cupped' member is held in this .position by the end of the plunger seating in one of the Lopenings 102. The periphery ofthe cupped lmember 95 a stop lug105 on thecpped member 88 carrying the crank handle 24 to limit 'its back.

is providedwith a scale 107 in 1catingnches` I -or any otherfsuitable" unit-'which may be brought to a zero marl; carried by the disc 97, so that the device may begset to drawV 0E `a length 'of tapefby a single movement of indicated on the scale'.-

The operation -will be obvious from the the crank handle tothe left equal' to 'that foregoing description.' After the cupped member 95is set A for the desired`length of tape, say four inches'as indicated in Fig. 2, movement of the crank lever 24 to the left or counter-clockwise, as viewed in Fig.4 1, as/arv as it will go, or until'itlivs stopped by the stop 106, will, through the gear drive and the rollers, withdraw four inches oftape vfrom the coil l1 and as it is withdrawn from the coil it may be printed .onits upper surface by the roller' 21 and its underor ummed surface will be moistenedby the roller 22.

The crank handle maythen be released and it will be moved back to its original position ready for the next 'operationy by the Aspring 92. Depression of the free end of the lever 5,3v will rotate the cutter 46 and will cut oil' the strip of tape to the proper length, and it may then be withdrawn from the machine by drawing it rearwardly over the moistening roll, it being understood that the feeding operation has projected the free end of thel tape fromv the rear end of the machinewhe're it may be grasped by. the operator. The mechanism-carried in the housing is enclosed by a suitable cover plate 108 seated between the side plates 18 and resting on the tie- V s rods 19 as shown in Fig. 3, to keep out dust and dirt and otherwise protect the mechanism. The roll of tape 11 may also be enclosed by a cover 108. If it is found preferj able not`to measure the strips as described the measuring device may be omitted and the tape fed off with a simple'gear drive.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is v 1. In a tape dispensing device of the` character described, ahousing, means within the housing forvmoistening one side of the tape includin a roll, a mpunti'n mittingrit to rotate, a tank? to-moisten the roll, said tank being provided with notches in the edges of its side walls toJ receive said mounting, and a slidable support for the roll peror holding liquid 4 beneath the tank to hold it in position with. Y

said mounting in the notches. K 4. In a tape dispensing device of the character described, means for intermittently advancing a tape capableof permitting elapse of time between successive advancing movements, means for moistening one side of the means for holdingthe tapejagainst the secv ond roll.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RAY of.v BEACH.

lacter described, means for intermittently advancing a tape capable of permitting pauses between successive advancmg movements,

means for moistening one side of the strip comprismg a contalner for molsture, ay rotary roll projecting into the container to remove moisture therefrom, a roll in contact with the'first roll and the tape and covered with a moisture absorbent material capable of receiving moisture from the irstroll and retaining -it between successive tape advancing movements so that the roller will remain f moist between these movements and will immediately mosten the tape as soon as the succeeding movement begins, and means for l holding the strip against the second roll.

e 2. In atape dispensing deviceof the character described, means for intermittently advancing a tape capable of permitting pauses between successive 'advanclng movements,

means forl moistening one side of thelstrip comprising a roll in contact with the strip and covered with a moisture absorbent material .y

capable of receiving moisture and retaining it between successive tape advancing movements so that the roller will remain moist be.- tween these movements and will immediately moisten the tape as spon as the succeeding movement begins, means for supplying .moisp ture to said absorbent material, and means for holding thev tape against the surface of said roll.

3. In a tape dispensing device ofthe char- 

